Blind Magic: The Sanctuary Chronicles Read online

  The air shifted as they seemed to walk out of the forest into an open space. The wind was low but still biting. The sun was strong and soothing, and Sera was glad to start discerning light with her still unseeing eyes. Maybe her body would see sooner rather than later.

  Soren stopped walking and unhooked her hand from the crook of his arm, now holding both her hands in his. “Stay still, you are close to a ravine, I don’t want you to fall.”

  “What’s going on, Soren? Why have you brought me here?”

  The weredragon sighed. “You are a very courageous woman, Sera. And I’m very grateful that you are a friend of my daughter, Valeria. And that I know you, too. Take it from an old dragon, courage and intelligence are rare in the world. Much more so than we all believe. But even the most courageous and intelligent people can lack perspective. Not seeing the bigger picture.”

  Sera blinked. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “From experience, visions must be interpreted, not taken at face value. That’s your weakness, Sera. Facts for you are the only reliable information and you took your visions as fact.”

  “My visions, like it or not, have not been wrong so far.”

  “Careful, witch. You’re again talking about facts. Think about interpretation. That’s where lies the truth and the power of the information that was given to you.”

  “Are you talking about the vision I had about Ian? I knew it was right, and the proof is that he survived!”

  “Yes, and it helped you find a solution to save his life. But what I was referring to was the vision where you saw that werewolf with his mate and child.”

  Hearing that being said aloud was like an arrow to her heart, but Sera shook her head. “And now you know why I acted the way I did. First, a witch can’t mate truly with a shifter. And second, I know for a fact that the woman he mates with is not me.”

  Soren let go of her hand and took a step back. “Well, for the first, may I remind you that you come from a family where the goddess is the protector of wolves and hunters, which gives you an edge in that area. And the second may come as a surprise for you, but you may be wrong, my dear.”

  As he stepped back even more, his energy that was surrounding her dissipated and her own radar came to life. Heart pumping, color swirled in her mind as so many different auras appeared. Sera recognized Violet and Valeria from a distance. Asher leading a pack of wolves. Someone walked beside her, and she whipped around in surprise, readying a spell when she recognized him.

  “Easy little witch, you wouldn’t turn a poor vampire friend to cinders, would you?”

  “What is all this?”

  “An intervention.” Finn laughed. “I never thought I would ever say that. You asked all of your friends to stay away. And as I’m not one of them...”

  “You are, stupid.”

  “Really?” Finn answered with a smile. “Oh, well. I’m a rule breaker anyway.” Soren snorted but didn’t say a thing.

  “It’s a bad idea, Finn.”

  “I disagree, but just for form, please tell me why.”

  “I’m trying to do the right thing here. And all of you being here.” And her heart sped up when she recognized Ian’s energy as a wolf, standing beside Asher. “All of you being here is making it difficult for me.”

  Now the carefully erected wall containing her volatile emotions was starting to crumble down. It was getting more and more difficult to breathe and when she felt Ian coming forward and change into a human form, she thought that her heart would disintegrate.

  “Sera.” The softness in his low voice when he said her name made her sob, but she raised a hand in his direction, preventing him from stepping any closer.

  “Please go. Please.”

  The crunch in the snow stopped but he didn’t move away. “I’m not going anywhere, Sera. I came for you, and you’re coming back to Sanctuary with me.”

  “I can’t. It wouldn’t be right for you.”

  “For me? I love you. And even those words are not even true or strong enough to convey my feelings for you. How can you say that? How can you say that you wouldn’t be right for me?”

  Sera tried to draw a breath, but the air felt like razors through her raw throat. Nevertheless, she forced herself to say the words. Maybe if he heard it from her, he would finally believe them.

  “I saw you. In a vision. You were holding a little boy, your child. And I saw your mate, and you were happy. I...” She couldn’t, wouldn’t say the L word to him. “I can’t let you live the rest of your life without experiencing that. You suffered too much already. You deserve to be happy.”

  “If what you say is true, I know what would make me happy. Don’t make decisions for me. For all that matter, the mate you saw in your vision could have been you.”

  Sera shook her head, now tears falling down her cheeks. “No, it wasn’t me. I didn’t see her face, but she had long brown hair... it wasn’t me, trust me.”

  Now, Ian stepped forward and, before she could move away, took her face in his hands. His warm breath fanning her skin sent shivers down her spine, and instinctively she touched his forearms. She had missed this contact, sorely, and she wondered how she would be able to live without it for the rest of her life.

  “Sera. I don’t know what you saw in your vision, but I won’t let it rule my life. I want you. With or without children, with or without mating. You are the only woman I want to be with. Don’t you understand? Don’t you want it? Don’t you want me?”

  And there it was. The truth and her greatest weakness. “I love you, Ian. And I will love you until my last breath.”

  Ian’s entire body relaxed, and he leaned his forehead against hers. “Thank heavens. Please, say it again. For me, Sera.”

  Sera circled his waist with her arms and noticed his clothed body. Someone must have summoned some for him. “I love you, Ian. And if you want me, I’ll be yours.”

  The werewolf’s answer was explicit when he took her lips. It was as if she had finally come home. His familiar scent, his body heat pressed against her. When she only wanted to forget the rest of the world, Ian pulled her back and enfolded her into his massive body. Sera dared to open her eyes and she could see. Her settling emotions must have righted her sight somehow. Now she sobbed into Ian’s flannel shirt, ecstatic, thrilled and scared, all at the same time. She pulled back and blinked until her eyes could finally focus on her werewolf’s beautiful face, wet with tears of his own. Some even caught in his whiskers and clung to his eyelashes. Her fingertips detailed the man she could see, even though she would never have forgotten his face in a million years.

  People gathered around and Finn laughed. “So glad I could see a prophecy come to life before my very eyes.”

  The words took a moment to sink in, and she turned to the vampire grinning like a fool beside her. “What do you mean? If you’re talking about my vision, let me tell you that you’re wrong.”

  Finn grinned and turned to Ian. “May I?”

  Ian didn’t have time to answer as Finn came forward and gently took a long strand of hair sticking from under her knit cap and put it in front of her eyes.

  Her eyes had still trouble focusing, but the color... Stepping away from Ian, she removed her cap and ran a hand through her hair, bringing into her line of vision. Brown. She had golden-brown hair. Gone were her pale gold blond locks.

  “What happened?” Sera couldn’t believe it! She turned to Soren, a scowl on her face. The weredragon shrugged.

  “Not my doing. I was wondering about it too, and I called Layla. She told me that it was probably due to your loss of immortality. You haven’t seen it yet, but even your eyes are darker. It seems that, when you relinquished your divinity, some other characteristics went with it.”

  Ian turned her toward him, pushing her brown locks behind her ear and she looked up at him, not quite believing it yet. “My hair...”

  “I didn’t fall in love with you because of your hair, Sera. Although I like you as a brunette... The sa
me brown hair as the woman in your vision as I was told.”

  “Could that be?”

  “Is it really important, Sera? I don’t care about what’s written in the stars, or what destiny has in store for me. I’m a man of the land. A wolf. I only know what I want. Who I love. And I love you. As for the rest, with you in my arms, I’m ready to fight the entire world if it means a minute of happiness with you. I know too well how fleeting it can be. I respect you, but I won’t base my entire life on visions. I’d rather trust my wolf, and you. Stay by my side, Sera. Whatever might happen. Trust me with your heart, as I know I can trust mine in your hands. That’s all I ask.”

  Emotions ran high and Sera tried to tame them, be as logical as possible. Until she realized that there was nothing logical about it. Ian was right. The man holding her in his arms was worth fighting the Fates and her own visions. And it was time she thought about her own happiness and not wait on the heavens or the gods for that matter.

  “If you’re courageous enough to be with a woman who may sometimes see into the future...”

  Ian’s eyes softened, and he cupped her cheek before tracing her bottom lip with his thumb. “Only if you’re courageous enough to take a broken-down wolf, who can’t think of living another single day without you.”

  It was impossible to speak a single more word as she grabbed his head and brought his lips down to hers.

  Ian’s arms came around her and tightened until she almost couldn’t breathe, and her feet left the ground. A low wolfish growl came from deep inside his chest and Sera couldn’t believe the flood of peace and lust flowing through her in perfect harmony, as if her inner magic had found its rightful place.

  Around her she felt cheer from her friends and colors swirled behind her closed eyelids. Beyond all the books and her studies, Sera decided that the knowledge of the heart was the only one that mattered.

  Epilogue

  Finn sat at the bar, an untouched glass of whiskey in his hands. He twirled the liquid over and over again, his gaze lost in it. Easthallows lacked decent pubs and it was in those moments that his Irish blood stirred the most. He missed the energy, the joy and the music. Everything was too calm in this sleepy Maine town. In fact, after centuries of travelling around the world, he still only claimed Ireland as his own. The New World was interesting, but lacked something. Although, since he met a certain, red-headed witch, he found more and more reasons to stay around.

  Taking a sip of whiskey, he let the liquid burn down his throat, his gaze examining the human world outside the window. Over the years, he had almost forgotten about them, human beings, as images on a painting. It was one of the consequences of living a very long existence. At some point, life bursting all around contrasted too much with the stillness from within, like shadows engulfing the light at dusk.

  The more time passed, the less he found anything to keep him interested. That was until he was rescued by Valeria and welcomed, after a while, into the Sanctuary. He had been surprised to be accepted so quickly. Clans and species never mixed at all, except on political or diplomatic issues. And vampires were always outcasts in some form or another. A reality he knew from the moment he became a vampire.

  His glass now empty, he regretted the time when he could get drunk. Alcohol now didn’t really affect his metabolism. Finn knew that drinking blood brought him a closer sense of ecstasy than any other liquid. And the blood of some could become an addiction. Once more, the image of the red witch formed into his mind. Once they exchanged blood. Once he fed on her. His entire body tensed at the memory. Taking blood could be personal, sensual, and if allowed, a link. And Finn knew that links, whatever the kind, could be dangerous. Easily turned into a weakness.

  Violet Shaughnessy was anything but weak. Worse, she could be dangerous. It was something he could sense in his bones, even if most of him, instead of getting away, begged him to get closer.

  Licking his lips, Finn remembered her taste, the one of her pure life essence and he knew what he had to do. Ireland was calling, and he should heed.

  The setting sun was outlining the dust floating in the air. The fiery orb colored the sky in so many intense hues, Finn allowed his mind to return to the fascinating witch once more. One last time.

  From the moment he had seen her, with her wicked mouth and disdainful attitude, it sparked something inside him. Her blood ignited it.

  Downing his whiskey, Finn decided that tonight he would leave, determined to shut that chapter of his immortal life for good. He was delusional, as having shared blood with Violet had opened a line of communication between them, one that would only shut down when the witch died.

  The thought brought pain and anger inside him and those futile emotions annoyed the hell out of the vampire. The consequence of spending too much time with humans.

  He needed to go back to his motherland and stay there until he got some sense of reality. With immortality came immense powers and influence, and he needed to focus on that.

  As Finn threw money on the table, and stepped out into mild Spring evening, he looked around one more time. He wouldn’t go back to Sanctuary, and he started walking toward the main street where he could catch a cab to the airport.

  As he turned the corner, a deep unease spread through his body, surprising him. He was about to dismiss it when this time, unexpected pain sliced through his body and a heart-wrenching scream reverberated through his head. Blood rushing, Finn felt fear for the first time in centuries as he recognized the voice. Violet.

  Don’t miss Finn and Violet’s story in DEAD MAGIC, The Sanctuary Chronicles, Book 3.

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  About the Author

  Writing for me is like being caught in the eye of a storm and loving every single minute of it.

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